


Christmas Obsessions

by pigeonpea



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Femslash, M/M, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28392669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pigeonpea/pseuds/pigeonpea
Summary: When Hermine spends the Christmas holidays with the Weasleys at the burrow, she finds a note with the word "help" on her pillow. In her determination to find and help the sender, she not only uncovers a mystery, but also gets closer to Ginny Weasley.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Help

„Help“  
This was the second time Hermine found a little letter on her pillow when she woke up.   
The first time she ran down to the kitchen of the burrow, as fast as she could, frightened, just to stumble into a confused Weasley family. No one seemed to know who wrote the letter. No one seemed to be even a little bit concerned. “It was probably just Fred and George, Mine”, Ron said, “you know that they use every opportunity for a prank and since its Christmas holidays, they have plenty.” He wasn’t wrong. Just a few days ago, they had turned a rabbit into a giant gingerbread man that chased Ron and Harry through the kitchen. But Hermine wasn’t convinced. She performed spells on the letter. She questioned little gnomes and she even asked the boggart in the closet about it, who just growled and turned into an essay graded with an F. But despite her efforts, she couldn’t find out who could need her help.   
This time though, she was prepared. Since a few nights, she had used a spell on her room, so it would leave a trace on anyone who had entered: a distinct smell of gingerbread and burnt wood that wouldn’t wash of. No one else would know the origin of the smell, so if someone was in danger of being hurt, Hermine wouldn’t endanger them further by exposing them. She chose the smell out of a nostalgic sense. It reminded her of winter nights in the cabin in the woods her parents owned. They went there every Christmas when she was a child and every Christmas, Hermine missed them terribly.   
Hermine took a deep breath and walked down the stairs, determined to find the person or magical being that needed her help this time around. When she arrived in the kitchen, she could already smell gingerbread and burnt wood. Her heart raced in her chest, but she forced herself to stay calm. She didn’t know who to trust. Careful not to raise suspicion, she looked around the room. Most of the Weasleys were already sitting around the table to eat breakfast. Ron and Harry sat next to each other and snickered about something. Harry had started to play with Ron’s hair which made Ron’s face turn into a bright red. Hermine couldn’t help but to smile, when she watched them. She had noticed them getting closer during the past months and this Christmas holiday they basically spent every second together. Neither of them seemed to be particularly in danger, so Hermine turned her attention to the remaining people in the room. Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen, trying to figure out a new recipe and mumbling curses. Hermine stood up to get a mug from the cupboard next to her. The smell of her spell became weaker. Now she could just smell the stew Mrs. Weasley was stirring frenetically. Hermine went back to the table and took a look around again.   
The only person remaining was Ginny, sitting on the edge of her chair, chewing her hair. Hermine walked up to her slowly and the smell of gingerbread and burnt wood intensified. Ginny didn’t look up until Hermine stood right in front of her. She looked surprised. “Hey”, Hermine said.  
“Can I help you?”   
“Can we talk upstairs?”   
Ginny nodded and the girls walked up the stairs without talking. When they arrived in her room, Hermine closed the door and did a quick silencing charm, so no one could overhear their conversation. “What is going on Ginny?”, she asked, “are you in danger? Is someone hurting you?”  
“What?”, Ginny asked. She looked almost mad and her voice was a little bit louder and higher when she spoke again. “Why would you think that?”  
Hermine was confused. “You left messages on my bed, Ginny. I know it was you, you don’t have to hide it anymore. You can trust me.”  
“What messages? What are you talking about?”   
Hermine pulled out the notes from her pocket and showed them to her.   
“They were on my pillow. I couldn’t trace the first one, so I used a spell to find anyone that would enter my room. I used a specific smell to identify them later on.”  
“Gingerbread and burnt wood”, Ginny whispered and took the notes out of Hermine’s hand. “I wondered where that smell came from all of the sudden.” She took a closer look at the notes. “It is my handwriting too. But I don’t remember writing these. What is going on?”  
Hermine took her hand. “I will help you find out. I promise. Maybe you can sleep here tonight? Whatever it is, it seems to happen at night-time.”  
Ginny nodded and hugged her. “I will get my stuff. Thank you, Hermine, I don’t know, what I would do without you.”


	2. Christmas Eve

The rest of the day, the two girls didn’t talk about the mysterious messages again. Hermine couldn’t help but to be disappointed. Somehow, she had imagined spending the day with the youngest Weasley, reading books about possible explanations for the events.   
But Ginny instead ran off to play Quidditch with Harry and her brothers, while Hermine decorated the Christmas tree with little sparkling lights and tiny fairies that danced all over the tree.   
It was Christmas eve and since Mrs. Weasley seemed to be constantly overwhelmed, Hermine had offered to help. She loved the moving Christmas decorations the Weasleys had, but her mind constantly wandered off to Ginny and the mysterious messages.   
When she saw her again during dinner, Ginny seemed to avoid looking at Hermine. Every time, Hermine looked over, she turned her gaze away and blushed. Hermine had hoped to reconnect with her afterwards, but Ron was asking her to teach him a card-game for muggles, while Ginny was forced into a long conversation with Percy about the pros and cons of different kinds of quilts. Eventually, Hermine went to bed and not long after, she heard a hesitant knock on her door.   
Ginny entered and grinned nervously. She was already in her pyjamas and had taken her make-up off.   
“Should I sleep at the floor, or…?” she asked. She looked at the floor, rubbing her left arm with her hand. The whole situation seemed to make her more uncomfortable now than in the morning. “You can sleep in my bed”, Hermine offered.   
“Thank you”, Ginny said, “Sorry for imposing”.   
“Hey”, Hermine said, smiling, “I like solving mysteries. Why do you think I am friends with Harry?”   
Ginny laughed weakly. She sat down on the bed next to Hermine. “Well, we should try to get some sleep. Wake me up, if something weird happens to me please.” She laid down, squeezed to her side of the bed in a way that made Hermine fear, she would fall out. But soon enough, as she fell asleep, she moved closer to Hermine, wrapping one arm around her as she started snoring. A warm feeling spread through Hermine’s stomach. It had been a long time since someone hugged her like that. She looked closer at the face of the sleeping girl next to her. She never noticed how pretty she was. No. That wasn’t entirely correct. She had forbidden herself to notice how pretty she was.   
Hermine was laying awake for a long time, studying every detail of the sleeping girl next to her, unable to close her eyes. Ginny’s mouth was opened slightly, and the tip of her tongue was peeking out between her teeth. Her freckled cheeks looked soft and warm.   
But just as Hermine fell into a light sleep, Ginny’s face – unnoticed by the sleeping girl next to her – started to change, started to become hard and gruel. Her eyes opened, cold like stones. Her mouth turned into a grin. “The moodblood is right here”, she whispered, her voice like a snake. One story up, Harry opened his eyes as well, a sharp pain setting his scar on fire.   
The girl laid her hands around Hermine’s neck and started to squeeze the soft skin. Hermine woke up abruptly. “Ginny”, she squealed, “stop. You are hurting me.” She looked up into the eyes above her and her blood froze in her veins. She knew one thing for certain. This wasn’t Ginny. Hermine tried to pull the hands of her neck, but the girl on top of her was strong. Hermine could feel the air leaving her lungs and started to fight back harder. She managed to pull her leg up and hit Ginny with her knee in the stomach. The hands around her neck loosened their grip and she was able to gasp for air. Ginny’s body rolled around from her knee punch.  
“Help”  
This was Ginny’s voice, barely whispering. Hermine turned her head and looked into her eyes. They were Ginny’s eyes again.   
“Ginny!”, she shook the girl’s hands off completely and started shaking her body. “Wake up!”  
This time, Hermine could see the change happen in Ginny’s face. Her lips were pressed together. Her whole face was in motion, her skin wrinkling, her eyes turned up into her skull. It looked like she was fighting something inside her. Then, she burst into laughter.   
“Die mudblood”  
The voice that was speaking this time, was cold and scary. Hermine jumped up from the bed and ran to the door. Just before Ginny reached her, she managed to shut the door behind her, closing it with a spell. She could hear Ginny’s body crashing against the door.


End file.
